Sisterly Bonding
by Katriona
Summary: I come up with the weirdest ideas for fics when I'm sitting in math class. This one takes place a week after the season 4 finale. When Piper gets sick, her sisters need to call on Prue to help save her with the Power of 3. *COMPLETED*
1. Default Chapter

****************  
A/N: I don't own the characters, I just write about them.  
A/N2: Please, review if you want me to update.  
****************

Paige was lying on her bed, thinking. She heard a knock, and looked up to see her older sister, Piper, standing in the doorway. "Honey, you OK?" she asked. 

"I'm fine," Paige answered, "I was just thinking about the whole 'Angel of Destiny' deal." 

"Oh, no." Piper said, sitting down next to Paige. "You aren't having second thoughts about that _now_, are you?" 

"Definately not," Paige asured her, "not about keeping our powers. I'm just wondering if I did it for the wrong reasons." 

"Wrong reasons?" Piper repeated, confused. 

"Never mind," Paige said, forcing a smile. "It's stupid." 

Piper wasn't going to let her off that easily. "What is it?" 

"It's nothing." 

"Then why won't you tell me?" 

Paige sighed. She knew that this could go on forever. _'She's only a month pregnant, and already she sounds like a mother'_ she thought. "It's stupid," she said out loud, but she gave in to her sister's worried glance. "It's just... Phoebe has that new job, and you're going to have a baby.... Without the Power of Three, you guys wouldn't need me around anymore." 

"Oh, honey," Piper began, and put her arms around her sister. "Of course we'd still need you around. You're our sister, magic or no." Piper paused. "I know I haven't said it, because of what happened to Prue and all, but I love you, Paige, you have to know that. I love you." 

Paige's smile was genuine now, and tears sprung to both her eyes and her sister's. "You really mean that?" she asked. Piper nodded, and kissed Paige's cheek. The hugged, and Piper got up to leave. "Hey, Piper?" Paige called, and Piper paused at the doorway and turned around. "I love you, too." 


	2. Chapter 2

Piper walked into the kitchen and sat down next to Phoebe, who was typing her advice column on a laptop. "Shut the computer off for a second, Pheebs." she said. Phoebe did as she was told, and Piper continued. "You know how Paige has been acting weird since last week? Well, I was worried, so I went to talk to her. I'm still worried, but at least now I know why." Piper went on to explain the conversation she'd had with Paige. 

"I can't believe that after everything, she still doesn't feel like a part of this family." Phoebe said, shocked. 

"We never really do anything together outside demon-vanquishing." Piper mused. 

"We never really do anything _period_ outside demon-vanquishing." Phoebe countered, only half joking. 

Piper smiled and nodded in agreement. "Maybe that's part of the problem." 

Before Phoebe could reply, Leo orbed in looking worried. "The Elders have found a demon they think may become the next Source." 

"Already?!?" Piper asked. "I thoguht the Underworld would still be in chaos from the last vanquish." 

Leo nodded. "That's what made it so easy for him to gain power so quickly. His name is Remler." 

"Paige! Attic." Piper called. 

"Book of Shadows?" Phoebe asked. 

"Book of Shadows." Piper confirmed. They went upstairs, meeting Paige in the attic. Leo repeated to her what he had told her sisters. 

"I don't get it..." she said slowly. "We vanquished the entire Council. Shouldn't that buy us a little time?" 

"According to Them," Leo pointed upward, "the disaray in the Underworld has just made it easier for demons to gain power down there." 

"Great." commented Paige dryly. 

Piper stopped flipping through the BoS and looked up at her husband. "Is this him?" she asked, pointing to a picture of a man with black hair and creepy yellow eyes. 

Leo looked at it and nodded. "Not much written here. It doesn't list his powers, or a vanquish. Just that he's a lower-level demon." 

"Huh." Piper snorted. "Obviously not any more. The Source isn't exactly 'lower-level'". 

"Well, seeing as this has been such a _great help_," Phoebe said, scowling at the book, "I think we should scry." The sisters stood around a map, and Paige held a crystal over it. 

As the crystal landed on the cemetery, a strange look came over Phoebe's face. "He's in the masoleum." she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. The masoleum had been a special place for Phoebe and her demonic husband, Cole. She hadn't gone back there since the witches had had to vanquish him. 

Piper squeezed her sister's hand. 

"Honey, are you up to this?" Paige asked. 

Phoebe nodded, and her voice became stronger as she spoke. "We should go quickly, before he moves. Paige, can you orb us to the cemetery?" Paige nodded and took her sisters hands. The three vanished from the attic in a swirl of bright, white lights. 


	3. Chaper 3

They materialized near the cemetery front gates and began walking toward the mausoleum.  
  
"So, what's the plan?" asked Paige.  
  
"Plan? Oh, right, we need a plan. Howabout, we go, I freeze, we vanquish?" Piper suggested. They didn't have time to come up with anything better. Silently they entered the mausoleum, clutching each other's hands. Remler was standing with his back to the witches, but he could sense their presence.  
  
"This is a very powerful place," he said, his tone menacing. "I can see why our last Source was so drawn to it." Paige squeezed Phoebe's hand comfortingly. Piper tried to freeze him, but it didn't work. Remler spun around, hurling them in different directions with his energy balls. He bent over Piper, who had fallen closest to him, and pinned her to the ground.  
  
"Your powers will be very useful to me." he snarled, his face only a few inches from hers.  
  
"Dude, you so need a Tic-Tac." she remarked. He moved closer in and exhaled until she began to cough. Paige called for a stone that was lying on the ground a few feet away, and threw it at him, temporarily knocking him out. She and Phoebe helped Piper to her feet, and Paige orbed them home. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Leo!" Phoebe called, as Paige led Piper to the couch. Piper's coughing only got worse, and she was so weak she could hardly stand.  
  
Leo orbed in and rushed over to his wife. "Baby, what happened?" he asked, his face full of concern.  
  
Piper tried to explain, but she couldn't open her mouth without bringing on another coughing fit. Paige and Phoebe told him what happened.  
  
"Leo, go see what the Elders know." Phoebe directed. "Paige, go get Piper a glass of water." Paige disappeared into the kitchen. Leo kissed Piper's forehead and orbed out.  
  
Paige returned quickly. "Here, sweetie, drink this." Phoebe said, taking the glass of water from her and holding it while her older sister drank.  
  
The water seemed to help. Piper's coughing subsided. "Get the Book of Shadows." she ordered hoarsely. Paige ran upstairs obediently, and returned a minute later clutching the heavy book. Piper took it and started looking for more information on the demon who'd made her so sick. Twice she flipped through, but she couldn't find anything more than the few sentences she'd read earlier. Frustrated, she handed the book back to Phoebe. There was nothing any of them could do but wait for Leo to return. 


	5. Chapter 5

Paige woke up and look around. It took her a minute before she realized where she was. She and Phoebe had falled asleep curled up on the loveseat. Piper was lying on the adjacent sofa. Careful not to wake her sisters, Paige tiptoed across the room and into the kitchen, where she picked up the phone.  
  
"Who are you calling?" Phoebe asked from the doorway, yawning.  
  
"Oh, just my job to let them know I won't be in today." she responded.  
  
"Sweetie, you don't have to do that," Phoebe said, trying to assure her sister and herself that Piper really would be okay.  
  
Paige shook her head. "I'm not leaving." She finished dialing and left a message on her boss' machine while Phoebe put on a pot of coffee.  
  
"Want some?" she offered.  
  
"Have you ever heard me turn down caffeine?" Paige returned. Phoebe smiled and got out two cups.  
  
She was pouring the coffee when Leo orbed in. Wordlessly, she sat down next to Paige, and both girls looked up at him expectantly.  
  
"The Elders said what's making Piper sick is demonic toxins from when Remler breathed on her. She'll only get worse, and when she dies he'll have her powers." he explained, his voice cracking when he spoke of his wife's probable death.  
  
"So how do we save her?" Paige asked impatiently.  
  
Leo sighed. "You need the Power of Three."  
  
"OK," Phoebe said, "we'll write a spell and get Piper to say it with us. Leo, go check on her. Paige, come with me." 


	6. Chapter 6

"What are we doing down here?" Paige asked when Phoebe led her to the beasement.  
  
"Looking for Gram's recipie book." Phoebe explained. "When we were little Grams used to make a special soup whenever one of us got sick. She never did let us watch her make it."  
  
"You think it'll help Piper?" Paige asked.  
  
Phoebe shrugged. "Couldn't hurt." She picked up a thick book and started leafing through it. "Bingo." she said, handing the open book to Paige. "Can you make that while I work on a spell?"  
  
Paige nodded and ran upstairs to the kitchen. She followed Gram's directions perfectly, and when the soup was done she brought it in to Piper.  
  
Piper's hands were shakey. She was so weak that she couldn't even hold a spoon. Paige had to hold her up while Leo fed her.  
  
"Allright," Phoebe said as she came in and sat next to Paige. "I have a spell."  
  
"You came up with a spell that fast?" Paige asked, surprised.  
  
"No, actually I just sorta tweaked one we've used before." she clarified. "It's an emergency, we needed one fast. A couple years ago, something like this happened where Piper got very sick. She went into a coma, and the doctors weren't sure if she'd ever come out of it. Scared the hell out of me and Prue, so we cast a spell to wake her up, only it backfired because of the personal-gain rule, and none of us were able to sleep until we reversed it. I changed the spell around a bit, hopefully it's enough to avoid personal gain issues."  
  
That last part especially worried Paige. "Hopefully? Honey, are you sure we should try this if there's a chance it'll backfire and make things even worse?"  
  
Phoebe looke down at Piper and shook her head. "I'm not going to lose another sister."  
  
The scared determination in her sister's voice seemed to reassure Paige. "You're right. We're not." 


	7. Chapter 7

********  
A/N: I didn't write the first half of the spell in this chapter. It's from season 2's Awakened, which happens to be one of my favourite Charmed episodes  
********  
  
"Piper, come on sweetie." Paige was kneeling beside the couch. She and Phoebe helped their sister sit up.  
  
"OK, say the spell with us honey." Phoebe urged. "Ready?" Piper nodded weakly.  
  
Paige held the paper up so Piper could read the spell, and they began the chant.  
  
"Troubled blood with sleep's unease,  
Remove the cause of this disease  
Though our sister's at death's door,  
Poison breath haunt her no more"  
  
This wasn't working. Piper's strenght was almost completely drained. She couldn't say the spell, she couldn't even stop coughing.  
  
"This is it. We have to make this work. There's nothing else we can do." Phoebe said.  
  
"Unless..." Paige began, getting an idea. Phoebe looked up sharply, eager to hear anything that might help save her sister. "Well, the Charmed Ones, the Power of Three, that's three sisters, right?" Paige asked nervously, not sure if this was a good idea but knowing there was no other way. Phoebe nodded, unsure of where Paige was going with this. She soon found out.  
  
"What if we summon Prue?" 


	8. Chapter 8

"Summon Prue?" Phoebe's initial shock gave way to hope and exitement. "This could work. This will work. Paige, you're a genious."  
  
Paige smiled nervously and followed Phoebe upstairs. "Are you ready for this?" she asked when they reached the attic. Phoebe nodded. Paige took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for meeting her oldest sister. 'Don't think about that. Just concentrate on helping Piper.' she reminded herself. Phoebe looked over anxiously, and they started the spell.  
  
"Hear these words, hear my cry,  
Spirit from the other side,  
Come to me, I summon thee,  
Cross now the great divide."  
  
Prue appeared and materialized in an instant. Phoebe ran over and threw her arms around her. Paige stood back, unsure of herself and feeling slightly left out.  
  
"Phoebe." Prue breathed. She returned her sister's embrace, and then backed away, turning to their baby half-sister. "You must be Paige." she said, smiling.  
  
Paige nodded, and smiled back self-conciously. "I- I always hoped I'd meet you somehow." she said shyly. Prue stepped forward to give her baby sister a hug, but they were cut short by the sound of Piper gonig into another coughing fit downstairs.  
  
"Prue, you know why we called you?" Phoebe asked. Prue nodded, and led her sisters downstairs, all the way grilling Phoebe about the plan, and how they would vanquish Remler. Phoebe couldn't help but marvel at how naturally her sister seemed to re-assume the postition as the oldest, the leader. Just like before...  
  
They reached the living room, and Prue hurried to Piper's side. She had known Piper was very sick, but she was still shocked at how pale and weak her sister looked. Gently stroking Piper's hair, she looked up at Phoebe. "Do you have a spell ready?"  
  
Phoebe nodded, and handed Prue the piece of paper. Together, Prue, Phoebe and Paige said the spell.  
  
"Troubled blood with sleeps unease,  
Remove the cause of this disease,  
Though our sister's at death's door,  
Poison blood haunt her no more."  
  
Piper sat up, gasping, and looked aruond. Her gaze settled on her older sister. "Prue?" she asked, her voice shaking.  
  
"I'm here, sweetie." Prue responded.  
  
Tears formed in Piper's eyes as she leaned over and hugged her older sister. "I missed you so much. But... how? I thought we weren't allowed to see you?"  
  
"Phoebe and Paige summoned me." Prue explained. "The Elders let me go to save you, and help vanquish Remler. They said you'd still be weak even after we did the spell, so they're letting me stay just long enough to get rid of him."  
  
"But how do we vanquish Remler?" Paige asked. "We don't have his fesh to make a potion."  
  
Prue sighed. "I don't know. But there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's all go to sleep, and worry about it in the morning."  
  
*****************  
A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in forever. I've been so preoccupied lately, I probably never would have got around to it if someone hadn't left a review asking for an update. If you actually like this fic and would like to read more, e-mail me at XScarletStarlet@aol.com to get me off my arse and writing again. 


	9. Chapter 9

****************  
A/N: Yes, it's the moment you've all been waiting for. I've *finally* gotten around to updating. Sorry for the long hiatus; I've been working busy with other projects. And, yeah. Stuff. Anyhoo, enjoy.  
****************  
  
Paige woke up with a start. She sat up and looked around. It was dark, pitch-black. The bright green numbers on her alarm clock read 2:00. What was she doing up this time of night?  
  
Then she remembered.  
  
Her first thoughts were of Piper. Then, one by one, the events of last night came back to her, ending with Prue's spirit.  
  
Paige knew she'd never get back to sleep now. Carefully, so as not to wake anyone else, she crept out of bed and went downstairs to the living room.  
  
There was a fire burning in the fireplace. Paige squinted. As her eyes grew accustomed to the light, she realized there was someone sitting on the couch by the fire.  
  
Prue.  
  
Paige gasped. Her older sister heard her and looked up, smiling warmly. Prue gestured to Paige, indicating she should sit in the chair opposite her's.  
  
"I take it you couldn't sleep, either?" Prue asked gently. Paige shook her head. "I don't blame you. You must've been so scared."  
  
Paige nodded again. "I... I thought Piper was going to die." she said, her voice slightly wavering. "And then you came and.... No offense, but how did you come? I mean, when I suggested calling for you, I wasn't sure if it would work, because you never came before. Why did They let you come now?"  
  
"I couldn't come before because Piper and Phoebe still hadn't accepted the fact that I'm gone." Prue explained. "I'm sure you must have noticed."  
  
"They were always comparing me to you. I know they didn't do it on purpose. I mean, I guess I did it, too. I tried so hard to be like you." Paige admitted.  
  
"You wanted them to accept you." Prue said. "I know how hard it must be, how left out you must feel."  
  
"No," Paige protested, "it's OK, really. I mean, when I came, they'd just lost their big sister..."  
  
"I'm your sister, too." Prue pointed out. She looked up, her eyes filled with love for the sister she never knew.  
  
"I know," Paige said, "I know. And as jealous of you as I was, and as angry as I was that I couldn't be like you, I've always just... I really wanted to meet you, to get to know you as my sister instead of just the memory of some super-witch I have to compete with."  
  
Prue smiled at this description. "Paige, I was hardly a 'super-witch'. You should have seen me right after we got our powers; I didn't want to admit I was a witch at all."  
  
"I guess I can understand that." Paige said. "I was... beyond freaked out, at first. I guess the only reason I really went along with it was to get close to my sisters, and you already were..."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Prue asked increduosly. "I mean, yeah, toward the end we were close, but it wasn't always like that. Phoebe and I used to fight all the time; Piper was afraid to leave us alone for too long, in case we ripped each other's heads off. What have Piper and Phoebe told you, anyway?"  
  
"Not much." Paige admitted. "They never really got around to talking to me about... You know, family stuff. I never brought it up, I guess I just figured they'd talk to me when they were ready."  
  
"Paige, honey," Prue began gently, "why is it, so you think, that they never talk about it?"  
  
Tears sprang to Paige's eyes. "I keep trying to convince myself that they will, eventually, but it's been over a year and they still don't accept me. They still don't think of me as a sister."   
  
Prue held out her hands, and Paige crossed over to the couch, next to her eldest sister. Prue hugged Paige and stroked her hair, the way she had done for Piper and Phoebe when they were little and one of them got upset. "Oh, honey, no. They do think of you as their sister. Honey, they love you."  
  
Paige still wasn't convinced. The talk she'd had with Piper two nights ago seemed like a century away. 'Had Piper really meant it, when she said she loved me?' Paige wondered.  
  
Prue looked down at Paige, the baby sister she'd watched for more than a year now, the sister she'd yearned to meet and talk to and protect. She hated that Paige was feeling this way, and partly because of Prue's own death.   
  
"Sweetie," Prue began, searching for something comforting to say. "After Mom died, I had the hardest time saying 'I love you', to anyone. I was so afraid that I'd lose everyone I cared about the way I lost her. It didn't mean I didn't love anyone, only that I was too scared to admit it. I think that's what Piper and Phoebe are going through. They're scared honey, that's all."  
  
"You think so?" Paige asked. Somehow she felt much more comfortable with Prue now than she had with Piper and Phoebe in the beginning.  
  
"I know it. We love you, Paige."  
  
Paige noticed the way the older witch had worked the word 'we' into that last sentence. "I love you too, Prue." she said sleepily.  
  
The two shifted positions so that they were both lying down on the couch, and fell asleep just as the fire died out. 


	10. Chapter 10

"Shh." Piper put her finger to her lips, then pointed across the room. She and Phoebe were standing in the doorway to the living room. 

Phoebe saw what Piper was pointeing at, and smiled. "Looks like we're not the only ones happy to have Prue back." 

They were looking at their sisters lying next to each other on the couch. They'd obviously been there all night, or at least most of it. 

"Funny," Piper said, "it looks like they'd grown up together." 

Phoebe caught the wistfullness in Piper's voice. "Honey, what is it?" 

"Nothing," Piper started to deny, but then stopped. "I don't know. I guess it's just because Paige still doesn't feel like she's completely part of the family with us, but Prue's been here one night, and she obviously already got Paige to talk to her, and-" 

"And you think we're doing something wrong?" Phoebe interjected. Piper nodded. "Oh, sweetie..." she paused, realizing she agreed with her older sister. "So what do we do?" 

"I don't know." Piper said, "But I think I know who to ask." 

Just then, their sisters stirred on the couch. "What time is it?" Prue asked, yawning. 

"Eight in the morning." Phoebe told her. 

"Hey, shouldn't you be resting?" Paige asked, casting a worried glance at Piper. 

"I'm fine." Piper assured her. 

"Are you sure?" Paige pressed. 

Piper nodded, touched by how concerned Paige was. '_Even after all the times we pushed her away, she still worries and cares about us,_' she thought, slightly in awe. 

"How about you?" Phoebe asked. "Are you okay?" 

Paige looked at her quizically. "Why wouldn't I be? Piper's the one who nearly..." Her voice trailed off. She couldn't say it, couldn't admit out loud that her sister had almost died. 

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe all pretended not to notice Paige's half-finished sentence. 

"I think we need to hold a family meeting." Piper said. "All four of us." 

Her sisters nodded, and followed her into the kitchen. Piper put some bagels in the toaster oven for breakfast, then joined her sisters at the table. 

"We need to come up with a way to vanquish Remler." Paige said, stifling a yawn. 

Phoebe put a hand on Paige's shoulder. "Yeah, we do, but honey that isn't what this is about." 

Paige looked at Phoebe, confused, and then her gaze shifted to Piper, then Prue. 

"Sweetie, Piper and Phoebe thought that since I'm here, now would be a good time to resolve some... family issues... between the three of you." Prue started. 

"We know we haven't exactly made you feel welcome, and we want to fix that." Piper added. 

"Oh, no," Paige protested. "It's not that I haven't felt welcome, believe me..." 

"You just haven't felt like part of the family." Phoebe interrupted. 

Paige nodded, reluctently. She'd wanted to keep quiet about it, to not make waves, especially the past few weeks, when they'd all been trying to avoid placing added stress on Piper. "I'm okay, though." she insisted. "Really, don't worry." 

Her sisters weren't fooled. "Honey, the other day, when I said I loved you, you looked so surprised... How did it get this way?" Piper asked. 

Paige shrugged. "You guys were going through hell when I showed up. You'd just lost your big sister, and I was a total stranger. It's okay, I understand." 

"It's not okay." Phoebe countered. "You're not a stranger. You're our sister, and we want you to feel like it. Just tell us what we can do to make that happen." 

"I don't know." Paige sighed. 

"I think it's something you all need to work on." Prue interjected. Her sisters looked at her, surprised. She'd been so quiet since the start of the conversation, they'd almost forgotten that she was there. 

"What do you mean, 'you'?" Piper asked. "You're allowed to come to us now. You'll be here, won't you?" 

Prue shook her head. "The Elders said this is a one-time deal. You're never going to resolve anything with Paige if I'm always popping in, getting in the way." 

"You wouldn't be getting in the way." Paige protested, remembering the way she'd bonded with her oldest sister last night. 

Prue turned to address her baby sister. "Yes, I would, and you know it. Paige, the three of you need each other more than Piper and Phoebe need me." 

"So how do we work things out?" Paige asked her. 

"Talk to each other." Prue answered simply. "Not just about demons and magic. I mean really talk, the way we used to." 

"It's going to be a lot harder than it sounds." Paige said. 

Piper and Phoebe looked down in silent agreement. 

"It'll be worth it." Phoebe said. 

Piper nodded, looking between Prue and Paige. "Family always is." 

  


**************** 

A/N: Okay, there's my big sisterly-togetherness chapter. It's not the only one I'm planning on, but it might be if I don't get any feedback.... 


	11. Chapter 11

"I think I found something," said Paige from her place in front of the Book of Shadows. It was open to the same page with Remler's picture that they'd seen before, only this time it was accompanied by a vanquish.  
  
"This wasn't there before," Piper said, turning to her husband askance. "Why wasn't this here before?"  
  
Leo shrugged, baffled himself. "I don't know. Maybe it was Them. Maybe They wanted you to learn something."  
  
"Okay," Phoebe said, her voice rising, "But if they want to teach us something, they can send us the mail-order course, they don't have to resort to nearly getting Piper and the baby killed."  
  
"Yeah, Leo, couldn't they at least have given us some kind of warning first?" Paige put in.  
  
Leo put both hands up, giving them a 'don't-shoot-the-messanger' kind of expression. "Do you think I like this any more than you do? Piper's my wife, I don't want her hurt." He put his arms around her protectively, and her sisters seemed to calm down.  
  
"Okay, well look, I'm fine," Piper said as soothingly as possible. However, this was of small comfort to her family, because as she said it a few loose coughs escaped. She took a breath, and continued. "At any rate, I'm not dying. So let's just take care of the demon, and then we can figure out exactly why the Elders did this."  
  
Prue stepped in. "Piper's right. Leo, you stay here with Piper. Paige, Phoebe, and I are going to vanquish the demon. Paige, you can orb us there, right?"  
  
Paige nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not that good at sensing evil yet, so we'll have to scry."  
  
"I'm on it," Phoebe said, pulling out a map and crystal.  
  
"Okay, while she's doing that, Paige, do you want to help me make the potion?" Prue asked.  
  
"I'll do the potion," volunteered Piper weakly.  
  
"Oh, no, honey, you rest," Paige insisted. "Prue and I can do the potion."  
  
With this game plan, everyone went to their respective stations. Leo brought a still-sickly Piper down to their bedroom to rest, while Prue and Paige went to the kitchen and Phoebe stayed in the attic. However, none of them was fully concentrating on the demon.  
  
"Do you know why the Elders did it this way, or what they want us to learn?" Paige asked as she got out the necessary potion ingredients.  
  
Prue shook her head. "They wouldn't tell me. I think it has something to do with your relationship as sisters, though."  
  
Paige looked at her quizically. "Our relationship as sisters? Why would the Elders care about that, as long as we did our job as witches?"  
  
"Because it's all intertwined," Prue explained. "Your bond as sisters is what keeps the Charmed Ones together. Your powers, your ability to function as the Power of Three, it all depens on that bond."  
  
"Wow," Paige breathed. "I thought I was the only one who thought that stuff was important." She looked up sharply. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that, it wasn't fair to Piper and Phoebe."  
  
Prue put an arm around her. "Honey, I know it's hard, but you have to trust that they're not purposely shutting you out. They're trying. It scares them, but they're trying." She paused. "Maybe that's the problem," she added thoughtfully.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Paige.  
  
Prue shrugged. "I don't know, it's just a thought... Maybe the reason you can't get close to them is because you're all trying to hard. They're trying to make you feel extra-welcome, you're trying to be... well, be like me, you're hoping to fill some kind of gap for them instead of creating a place for yourself. None of you are giving yourselves the chance to just be a family."  
  
Paige turned back to making the potion. She had a sneaking suspicion that what her eldest sister had said was true, more than even Prue could know. She stayed quiet, and tried to concentrate on the potion, but she couldn't keep her sister's words from running around in her head...  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
A/N: You asked for an update, and you got one. Review, and you'll get more. 


	12. Chapter 12

"Potion?"  
  
"Check."  
  
"Vanquishing spell?"  
  
"Check."  
  
"Location?"  
  
"Check."  
  
"Okay, then, I guess that's everything," Leo said hesitantly. He and Prue had taken charge of the impending vanquish, her as the head witch and him as their whitelighter. It felt just like old times, except that Paige was buzzing about and Piper was upstairs, unable to join in the Power of Three. Oh, yeah, and the fact that Prue was dead.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing that he was less than eager to send them off.  
  
He looked up at her, a sad glint in his eyes. "Piper and Phoebe aren't the only ones who've missed you, you know. God, Prue, you were like a sister to me, and I..."  
  
"I know," she said quietly. Slowly, she got up from the couch and crossed the room to where he was standing by the fireplace, and hugged him. He embraced her tightly for a moment, then they both let go. Without another word, they headed into the kitchen, where Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were waiting.  
  
"Is he still there?" Prue asked.  
  
Phoebe nodded, looking down at the map and crystal she'd placed on the table. "He should be. I just scryed for him again a minute ago."  
  
"Okay, then, let's go," Prue replied.  
  
Piper frowned. "I still wish I could go with you. I hate waiting."  
  
"I know, honey," Prue said, smiling. "But the spell didn't remove all the effects of the toxin. Your body has to fight them off itself, and until it does, no demon-hunting for you. Besides, you'll need your strength to take care of my little niece or nephew."  
  
Piper sighed, knowing full well that her sister was right. She crossed her arms in front of her stomach, and said nothing as Prue, Phoebe, and Paige orbed out.  
  
The appeared in the cemetery amidst a swirl of white lights, and started walking toward the masoleum, where Phoebe had pinpointed as Remler's location.  
  
"This brings back memories," Prue remarked, clinging tightly to Phoebe and Paige's hands.  
  
"You know, I knew Paige was like you when she started getting suspicious of Cole, but I never realized exactly how much alike the two of you are until this moment," Phoebe returned. Prue smiled, and Paige beamed. They continued on in silence.  
  
They reached the building, and slipped in quietly. Paige's free hand was wrapped around a small vial of potion. She tightened her grip on it, shivering. Suddenly, she had a very bad feeling about this...  
  
"I thought you'd come back."  
  
The girls jumped; the voice had come from behind them, and not from deep inside the crypt where they'd thought Remler would be lurking.  
  
The demon stepped out from the shadows, closing the masoleum door behind him. "I must admit," he continued, "I didn't expect you so soon." His eyes fell on Prue, and his mouth formed a cruel smile. "Ah, that explains it, then. Reserecting the dead to complete the Power of Three. I'm impressed. It's a good plan. However, not good enough."  
  
"He's trying to psych us out," Prue said to her sisters. "Don't listen to him, just throw the potion."  
  
Paige started to pull the vial out of her pocket, and found herself being thrown back, along with her sisters. "Now, you didn't really think I'd let you get away with that, did you?" asked Remler. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Bad witches. You stay here, and think about what you've done."  
  
With that, he shimmered out, leaving Prue, Phoebe, and Paige alone. They got to their feet, and went straight to the door. They soon found that, as hard as they tried, they couldn't get it open.  
  
"It's no use," Phoebe said, "He's sealed it."  
  
"Okay, but that doesn't matter much, anyway," Prue replied. "We've got our own built-in transportation system, via whitelighter, remember?"  
  
Paige took her sisters' hands again, and concentrated all her energy on getting them out. They disappeared in a swirl of light, only to be thrown back onto the floor. Paige tried orbing out by herself, only to be met with the same effect.   
  
"Oh my God," she breathed. "He put a barrier around the place. We can't get out." 


	13. Chapter 13

After her sisters orbed out, Piper allowed Leo to steer her into the living room to rest. They'd been lying on the couch together for a while when suddenly Piper pulled her hand to her stomach, an odd look her face.  
  
"What?" he asked, sitting up abruptly. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't think anything's wrong, exactly," she replied. "I just feel... weird. I think it's got something to do with the baby, but it feels like something she's doing, not like something's happening to her. Did that make any sense?"  
  
"Uh... kindof," he said. "Do you want me to try healing?"  
  
She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think either of us is hurt."  
  
Before he could respond, a spare vial of vanquishing potion that Prue had left in the kitchen appeared in a swirl of bright lights, dropping into Piper's lap.  
  
"Oh my God," she breathed. "I did not do that. I cannot do that. Leo, did you do that?"  
  
Leo shook his head. "No, I didn't do that. I think it may have been..."  
  
"Oh my God," Piper repeated. She looked down at her stomach, then back up at him, a slow smile forming on her face. "Looks like our child takes after her Aunt Paige." She picked up the vial, examaning it. "That's so weird. Leo, why would she call this to us?"  
  
Leo shrugged, then leaned in close to her. "Sweetheart, do you want to tell Daddy what you're up to?"  
  
Piper pushed his head away, laughing. She was quickly cut short by a crash and the sound of Remler leaping in through the window. Leo pushed her down, huddling on top of her to protect her from the shattering glass that was falling around them, and she wrapped her fist around the potion. When everything was clear, they slowly got up.  
  
"How did you get here?" Piper demanded. "Where are my sisters?"  
  
Remler smiled, his crooked teeth showing. "Your sisters are a bit... held up..."  
  
She raised her arm, ready to throw the potion, but Leo stopped her. "You can't vanquish him with just that. You need the Power of Three, remember?"  
  
"Listen to the Whitelighter," Remler advised.  
  
"Just freeze him," Leo whispered.  
  
"I can't, my powers don't work on him," she reminded him.  
  
Just then, Remler collapsed to the floor. The baby had orbed a potted plant above his head, and it knocked him unconcious.  
  
"Good girl," Piper running off toward the attic.  
  
"What are you doing?" Leo asked, following her.  
  
"Getting things ready for when he wakes up," she replied. Without further explanation, she grabbed five crystals and ran back downstairs. She arranged the crystals in a circle on the floor around him, slamming the last one down in place just as the demon was coming to.  
  
"Tell me where my sisters are," she demanded fiercly as the demon was hit with a powerful jolt. She picked up a crystal so he could talk, but he simply glared at her and said nothing. "Let's try this again," she said, throwing the crystal back down. This time, she let it sit for a while, theorizing that the more pain the demon was in, the more likely he was to talk.  
  
He still refused to talk, and after a while, she grew weary of trying to make him. She left the crystal in place, so Remler couldn't move, and turned to her husband. "Can you sense them?"  
  
He nodded. "I know they're alive, but I can't tell where they are. Wherever it is, he's got some kind of magical cloak around the place, blocking me out."  
  
"If you can't find them, a tracking spell wouldn't work," Piper mused out loud. "Where did Phoebe say she'd scryed him at again?"  
  
"The masoleum," he replied. "You don't think he's holding them there, do you?"  
  
Piper shrugged. "I think we should check."  
  
Leo sighed. "Fine. I'll go. But Piper, we don't have time to go orbing all over the city looking for them, so try getting some information out of Remler before you turn our living room into a toaster oven with those crystals, okay?"  
  
"Okay," she promised. He kissed her good-bye, and then orbed out.  
  
He orbed into the cemetery, right outside the masoleum. Not really expecting to find his sisters-in-law there, he went up to the door, and tried opening it.  
  
It wouldn't budge. Now growing suspicious, Leo tried to orb inside, and was thrown back. He ran back up to the door, and started pounding on it. "Girls," he called, hoping they could hear him.  
  
Inside the crypt, Prue, Phoebe, and Paige jumped up at hearing his voice.  
  
"Leo, we're here," Prue yelled back.  
  
"Hang on," he said. "I can't get into you. I'm going back to the manor to get Piper."  
  
He orbed out, reappearing in the same place he left. Piper looked up as he said, "I've found them." 


	14. Chapter 14

Piper paced around the kitchen, absorbing everything her husband had just told her. "So let me get this straight. They're trapped in the masoleum, with some kind of anti-magic barrier around it. They can't get out, and we can't get in. I can't vanquish the demon without them, and they can't escape unless I vanquish the demon. Is it safe to say we're officially screwed?"  
  
Leo sighed, and put his arms around her shoulders. "No. We'll find a way out of this, like we always do."  
  
"But how?" she pressed. "How are we going to get to them?"  
  
Leo's eyes fell on the kitchen door, beyond which Remler still lay entraped in Piper's crystals, and a thoughtful frown appeared on his face. "We won't get to them," he said finally. "You will."  
  
"Leo, what are you talking about?" Piper questioned. "If they've got the Power of Three and they can't get out, then how am I-"  
  
"With the Power of Four," Leo interrupted.  
  
She stared at him, not comprehending. "Leo, there's no such thing."  
  
"There's never been any such thing," he corrected. Her look of exhasperation deepened, as she clearly didn't see the difference. "Look, throughout history, there has only ever been three Charmed Ones," he started to explain. "First it was you, Phoebe, and Prue, and then it was you, Phoebe, and Paige, and now, for a few hours at least, it's Prue, Phoebe, and Paige. But just because you're not currently part of the set doesn't make you any less of a Charmed One. You've still got that power, that bond with your sisters that makes you all who you are. You just have to tap into it."  
  
Piper nodded, starting to understand. "He built barriers strong enough to keep out the three most powerful witches in the world. But maybe they're not strong enough for the four most powerful witches."  
  
He kissed her lightly, sliding his arms even further around her. "Let's go find out, shall we?"  
  
She nodded, and rested her head on his shoulder as he picked her up and orbed out. They reappeared back in the cemetery, and she jumped out of his arms and ran toward the door of the crypt.  
  
"Prue, Phoebe, Paige!" she called, banging on the door.  
  
"We're here, Piper," Prue yelled back.  
  
"Okay, good. Leo's going to orb back to the manor and get Remler." She explained to her sisters the plan her husband had helped her come up with, ending with, "We need to work together on this one. Do you think we can pull it off?"  
  
"Don't worry about it," Phoebe advised. "Just make sure you're next to Leo when we say the spell, so in case it doesn't work he can orb you out."  
  
"It'll work," Piper replied. "It has to."  
  
There was no more time for debate. Leo orbed in, holding Remler by the neck. Piper threw the potion, and she and her sisters started chanting, hearts pounding as they waited to see if this would work...  
  
****************  
  
A/N: Yes, I'm going to make you wait and see if they vanquish him or not. ::evil grin:: Heh, the good news is I'm almost done with this fic, so you won't have to wait *that* long. 


	15. Final Chapter

Piper watched in amazement as the demon in front of her starting writhing in place, small wisps of smoke escaping from his body. "It's starting to work," she called to her sisters. "He's weakening. Try getting out."  
  
Paige orbed, but was again knocked back. "I can't," she started to yell, but stopped suddenly. "Wait. I've got an idea. You know what you said about the Power of Four being enough to lift the spell? Maybe we're doing it wrong. Maybe we can't vanquish him from in here. Maybe we have to get out first."  
  
"We tried that," Prue pointed out. "You couldn't orb, you got thrown back every time..." her voice trailed off as she was interrupted by Piper.  
  
"...Because Paige was trying to move her whole body. But Prue, you've got your body back now, and your powers with it. You could astral out of there, because you'd only be moving your subconcious," she suggested.  
  
Prue looked at Paige and Phoebe. "Do you think it would work?"  
  
"Try it," Phoebe advised.  
  
Prue nodded, and concentrated all her mind on being out of the mausoleum. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and found herself standing next to Piper. "Oh, wow," she said, turning to her sister. "You are so smart."  
  
Piper smiled. "Nice to see you. Now what do we do?"  
  
"Ohh, I have an idea," Phoebe called. "You guys try breaking in, while me and Paige try breaking out. We'll be coming at the spell from all sides, it's bound to break."  
  
For lack of better reasoning, they went with this plan. Prue tried tk'ing the doors open, while Piper tried blowing them up. Inside, Phoebe repeatedly levitated and kicked the doors, while Paige kept attempting to orb out. After what seemed like forever, she succeeded, orbing a few feet away from the mausoleum as the doors flew open, sending her sisters crashing down on top of one another.  
  
Paige turned, rushing toward her sisters as they helped each other up. "Oh, are you guys okay?"  
  
"We're fine," Piper said, dusting herself off.  
  
"Good," Paige said, "'Cause I think we've got some business to finish."  
  
They turned to Remler, still steaming on the ground, and repeated the vanquishing spell. This time, it worked. They watched the demon disappear in a ball of flame, leaving ashed falling everywhere. These ashes were the only remnant of Remler.  
  
"Ugh, I'd forgotted some of the drawbacks of having a body," Prue grumbled. "Namely, that falling on your ass really tends to hurt."  
  
Piper gave her a sympathetic hug. "I'm just glad you're out of there," she said, taking one arm off of Prue and wrapping it around Paige. Phoebe, on Paige's other side, stretched her arm around their youngest sister to take Piper's hand. None of them noticed Leo standing off to the side, looking at them proudly.  
  
"You did it," he said, almost in awe.  
  
"Of course we did," Piper said. "What, you thought we couldn't handle one little vanquish? It was your idea, remember? You had to know it would work, unless you brought me here on some half-assed whim, in which case you will spend tonight getting re-acquainted with our living room couch..."  
  
Leo smiled, knowing full well it was an idle threat. "I'm not talking about the vanquish. Or at least, not just the vanquish. You guys worked together, as sisters. It might have begun with my idea, but you formed the plan together, and that's what made it work. You should be really proud of yourselves."  
  
Prue turned to face her sisters. "I'm proud of you. And I know you'll be okay." She looked up, and her expression faltered. "I guess They know it, too. Whatever you guys needed me to help work out, you must've done it, because They're calling me back."  
  
Piper frowned. "But I don't know how to say good-bye. Prue, I don't want to lose you again."  
  
"We don't want to lose you again," Paige amended.  
  
Prue shook her head. "Don't worry about that. Just take care of each other. And my little niece or nephew."  
  
"We will," Paige promised.  
  
Prue smiled. "I love you," she said, looking at each of her sisters in turn. Her gaze lingured on Paige the longest. "All of you."  
  
They felt a slight breeze, and then she was gone. For a while they stood at the cemetery, hugging each other. "I love you," they whispered in unison. Then, they looked up, smiling at each other. For the first time, they knew they were going to be all right.  
  
****************  
  
A/N: Well, that's it. I finally finished it. About time, I know. Thanks for reading. Now off to complete some of my other pull insanely large number out of ass and insert here fics... 


End file.
